Danny Huston Quotes

I try to direct myself the way I direct the other actors who come on my show.

I've certainly worked with really great directors who haven't acted.

As a director, you see something in someone; you know it's there, you just got to go get it. You do that with any actor. That's your job.

I think a first-time director always has to convince a lot of people that they're ready to do it.

Mel is a great director because he's not just a director, he's an actor, so he knows how to direct actors. I loved working with him. He's great as a director. He's so intelligent. He's generous. I really loved him.

I don't think I know enough about acting to direct. You need to be a slight megalomaniac, not where you want to take over the world, but where you want to make every single decision and the buck stops with you. It's an awful lot of stress.

I love being creative. I love acting, but I also love directing because you get to have a vision for the whole and bring that vision to fruition.

I think that in order to be a film director, one has to be a warrior who shouldn't be defeated by the daily onslaught of problems.

Being on a Paul Thomas Anderson film, the best decision an actor can make is to listen to Paul Thomas Anderson. Because he's probably not going to steer anyone in the wrong direction. I would always say go with your gut on any other movie set, but with Paul, I would say go with Paul's gut.

All you can really do as director is sort of set a tone.

Being a director is almost like being another sort of character, but you're out of view.

And at the same time, you are of course a performer, but it's very important that you understand that your role as a performer is to get the best performance from those wonderful colleagues that you have the chance to work with.

Look, a lot of directors were actors, even if they were unsuccessful actors which I think is helpful. I think it's a really helpful thing for a director to have experienced that. It helps you know how to talk to actors and how to get what you need from them.

The hardest part about directing is getting everyone on the same page.

It's different being a director. I suppose, especially if it's a story you've written and you feel compelled to tell, in some ways it's a lot easier than acting because you're orchestrating the piece. As an actor, sometimes you're trying to second-guess what people want.

Acting is just playing the violin in an orchestra. Directing is being the conductor.

I'm not a huge kind of visual director. For me, it's all about the acting. There's no greater buzz than working with actors and seeing what they can do and how much they can improve on what you'd written. That will always be on the top of my list. It's a real privilege to see it live before anyone else sees it.

As the lead of a movie, you really set the tone off-camera as well, and that's a really big responsibility.

My tendency as an actor was to correct people, was to say, 'What if we tried it this way, what about if we tried that way?' That's terrible habit for an actor, but that's a good habit for director. So I became a director.

For me, acting is like a holiday. When you're directing, you have a strong sense of responsibility for others. It's exciting but exhausting, especially when you're like me: always wanting to break the rules.

No, I wouldn't direct a movie, no. I couldn't. I don't have the patience for it, I don't have the people skills. You have to be clever. I'm not really clever in that kind of way. And you have to be able to manipulate people, but at the same time allow them to feel like they are manipulating you, to get the kind of movie that you want.

I would really love to direct one day. I think there are certain actors who love the character and the performance and that's all they want to be a part of.

When you're a director, you really live whatever you do.

I started off as a director, so when I see other actors directing, it gives me hope that maybe they'll put me into that position at some point, too.

I think that it helps that I have acted. That said, it doesn't mean you're going to be a good director.